Men who seem important

Galatians 2

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

“As for those who seemed important – whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance – those men added nothing to my message” v6

In our walk of life, we face many different people who make themselves seem important and everyone seems to want to please them. They are the ones who try and water down our message/testimony and our integrity. We may get caught up in life trying to follow their footsteps, just because they seem to work, even though it may go against our godly principles.

For us as godly believers, our walk with Jesus should not be influenced by the world, and this means not to be influenced by people who live according to the world. They gain a lot but compromise their integrity to do so. They may seem important to please but what Paul is saying here is they are no different than anyone else. God does not judge by external appearance and neither should we. Do not water down your life testimony just to make someone else feel good. Make yourselves a living sacrifice to God alone and surely He will take care of you till the end of the age.

There are also believers who try to water down the message by telling us that not all of the bible is true. Some may even use bible scripture for their own benefits. However, we are called to be rooted in scripture so that we may not be deceived when others quote scripture but teach out of context (a wrong message).

Lord, I ask and pray that you protect the message within me. Keep me rooted in your word so that I may live out a life worthy of Your name. Amen

Love Must Be Sincere

Romans 12:9 – Love must be sincere

Saturday, April 02, 2016

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good”

Memory verse of the day I guess. In this world, a majority of people only get to know you if you benefit them. Their love is not sincere. However, there are a minority of people who sincerely give love away without expecting any in return. These people are at a loss when it comes to the world but at a gain when it comes to spirituality. Sure they do not get fairness in life but God sees them and God is a rewarder of those who love Him.

I wish to break the notion that love cannot be sincere. A person who treats you well wants something in return. How can we break that mindset? “What’s in it for me?” is always the question on their minds. “Love must be sincere” becomes such a hard thing to follow. When you give away love, you usually expect love in return. Get ready for disappointments. Love that is sincere does not expect love in return. That is why Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to love those who cannot afford to pay us back.

Love must be sincere. What a profound statement. Society is not capable of this. Everyone knows it but almost no one is implementing it. If your love is sincere, society will jeer at you. You are too different, society does not accept you. How do we have love that is sincere but at the same time not have people reject us?

What is good is usually difficult. It is not easy to follow Christ.

Lord, I pray, help me to have love that is sincere. First, help to receive your love because your love is the most genuine of all. Only with your love can I love others sincerely and without expecting anything in return. Amen.

Set Apart

Galatians 1

Saturday, April 09, 2016

“God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace” – v15

Each of us has been set apart whether we know it or not. Through this chapter, Paul tells of his life. He was against the gospel and tried to destroy it. He did not know his calling yet. But behold God was still at work. The plan of God did not start when Jesus met Paul on the way to Damascus, but His plans for Paul started at his birth.

So it is with us as well – God has called us since birth. Whether we know of it yet or not, we can be rest assured that God is and will always be working in us. We serve such a faithful God. No matter our circumstances, when our eyes are fixed on Him, we know that He has our whole world in His hands.

And when Paul’s life took a turn and changed for the better, God could use all that was in his past and turn that into a testimony.

I look forward to the day that God has planned for me. In the meantime, God is still at work in me. What He started in use, He will finish. Amen.

Honor one another above yourselves

Romans 12:10

Monday, April 11, 2016

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves”

Recently, the leaders were discussing about the issues that working adults face at work and how they can be an influence in the market place. We hit the topic of “confidence” saying that without confidence in the work place, working adults face emotional stress, so much until they are not able to handle it. These can be from their supervisors, their colleagues and their subordinates. Not having the self-esteem on their part makes them face constant pressure that pushes them to frustration. When they come home from work, all they wish to do is chill and relax. In the end, they are fully focus on themselves and they start to neglect the other aspects of life such as house chores, family, church, God. They become selfish and do things to please themselves without a second thought about the people around them. This is the reality of a working adult’s life.

God says in His word here to “be devoted to one another” and to “honor one another above yourselves”. It takes God to be in the center of it all to do this. When we acknowledge that God is still in control of our lives, we unload our burden and load it unto our Lord Jesus Christ who is willing to lift your burden for you. When God is in the Center of your life, you will then have the confidence in your workplace to love another and honor them above yourselves. And when you come home, you will not only focus on yourself for it is selfish to do so.

God, I pray you will build in me the confidence I need to be the head and not the tail in my workplace. Help me to believe that You are always with me and You are always in control. Almighty God, thank you for being faithful. Amen.

Treating Unfairness in Life

Romans 12:11-12

Saturday, April 16, 2016

“Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”

Joyful in hope. Hope is when we have faith in something we cannot see, like hoping for a better day. As Christians, we hope for the day when we will see Jesus. Therefore we are joyful. Whether trials or pestilence, they cannot rob us of this - that in the end we will see Jesus. This is the greatest joy. Don’t let anyone nor anything bring you doubts about this. This is what you should fix your eyes on. The Lord Jesus Christ has done it all. All we have to do is endure this life and let God use us for His plans and purposes whatever it may be. In the end, we will still see Jesus. Don’t think of life as being unfair to you. God is not about fairness, He is just. And everything will happen in the end as it is supposed to. Take unfairness as a common thing. Expect it to come even in the quietest moments when least expected. Treat everyone equally and don’t let another disrupt you following Jesus.

Patience in affliction. Your endurance is being tested every single day. And it grows as it is being tested. Patience will bring you a long way in life. Why does God call us to be patient in affliction? Why does God put affliction on us in the first place? We know that it is for our benefit that we are afflicted, so that we may learn from it and grow. At the same time, we know that not all affliction is from God and we should not choose to stay in affliction but find a way out of it. Going through affliction will also help you to see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life. So be patient until God provides you a way out of your affliction. Discern wisely and act on it. But in the process do not say that life is unfair to you. You do not know what others are going through.

Faithful in prayer. Prayer is what connects us to God. Prayer is what helps us tap into the unseen power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is what keeps us intact. Without prayer, we feel hopeless, impatient and hungry for the world. Prayer brings us back to our senses, brings us back to Jesus. Prayer brings new perspective for us. Prayer helps us fix our eyes on Jesus.

It hit me that all these three – being joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer – are ways of overcoming the world, especially the unfairness of the world. "I have overcome the world," says our Lord Jesus Christ. In the end, we will still see Jesus. Amen.